Car-fender



UNITED STATES PATENT EErcE..

THEODORE LAMPUS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

CA R F E N D E R SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.580,618, dated April 13, 1897.

Application filed December 8, 1896. Serial No. 614,943. (No model.)

To all whom t may concer/'n.-

`Be it known that I, THEODOEE LAMPUs, a

` citizen of the United States, residing at Clevewill enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a fender forstreet-cars which will certainly pick up any person who gets between therails in the path of the car, and

will do this with the minimum of personal injury to such person.

The invention relates particularly to the construction of the front endof the fender; and it consists in the construction and oombination ofparts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of the improved fender.Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same, and Fig. 3 is a sectional View online 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the parts by letters, A represents the fender-frame, whichconsists of the two stout bent side barsaa, a transverse rear baro/,which connects them, and a front rod a2, which preferably is arock-shaft journaled in the front ends of the side bars.. This frame iscovered by a netting a3, and the fender is xed beneath the front end ofthe car by any suitable means.

B B represent two curved tubular arms which are pivotally connected tothe front end of the fender-frame with their concave sides up, and fromthe said fender-frame these arms project forward and slightly downward.The pivotal connection between these arms and the fender-frame iseffected by respectively securing them to the rock-shaft a2 close'to thetwo side bars a a.

C C represent two plungers curved upon the same radius as the arms B B,into which they telescope, as shown. In each arm B around the plunger isa coil-spring c, which thrusts against a collar c upon the plunger andan internal shoulder b in the arm B, whereby said plunger is normallyforced outward as far as it will go. This outward movement is limited bythe engagement of the collar c with the cap b', which embraces theplunger and screws into the end of the arm B. Secured to the frontendsof these plungers by means which I will presently eX- plain are thetwo rods E E', of which the rea-r bar is slightly higher than the frontbar, and upon these two rods are mounted the sectional rollers e.. Theconstruction shown for connecting the two rods E E', as described, isthe following:

An approximately horizontal plate c2 is formed on the front end of eachplunger, and it extends both behind and in front of said end. Atransverse rod D extends from one plate c? tov the other, passingthrough them at points about midway between their ends. On this rod theplates d are secured, which plates extend forward and rearward from saidrod. tively, through the front and rear ends of the plates c2 and all ofthe plates d, the parts being held in the described relation to oneanother by the nuts e d', which are screwed onto the ends of the rods E,E', and D.

G representsa forked bar, the two front ends of which are bent outwardand pass into holes c3 in the front ends of the plungers C O. This barpasses beneath the fender-frame and through a fixed bracket H, which issecured to the under side of the car. A coil-spring g surrounds the rearend of bar G and thrusts against the front side of the bracket H and acollar g on the bar, the result being that said bar is alwayspressed'forward by the action of the spring. This spring supplements theaction of the springs c in pushing the plungers C forward. In fact, thesprings c might be omitted without seriously affecting the operation ofthe device. The spring g also acts, after the plungers have been movedoutward as far as possible, to swing the ends of the arms B B forwardand upward until such movement is stopped by the engagement of thecurvedarms h2, which are secured to arms B, with the shoulders j on collars J.These collars are adjustably secured by set-screws j' to studs a5, whichproject inward from bars a..

Because of the curved shape of the arms B and plungers C the forwardmovement of said plungers in said arms raises the two rollerbearing rodsE E above the ground. The

The two rods E Ef pass, respecf IOO described movement of the arms B,produced by spring g, produces a similar result. The reverse movement ofplunger-s and arms produces the contrary result-that is to say, causessaid rods E E to move toward the ground. The result of this mode ofaction is that when the front bar E strikes a person who is between thetracks said bar yields, that is to say, moves backward, whereby the blowis cushioned by the springs c and g. In its backward movement it movesnearer the ground,whereby when the plungers have been pushed as far aspossible into the arms B a further pressure upon the bar'E causes thearms B to swing down, which action is increased by the weightupon thebar E. The combined action of the plungers C and arms B has the resultof moving bar E so near to the ground that it is sure to pass bencathandnot over the person struck, whereby he is lifted onto the fender, therollers e facilitat-A ing the said movement.

When the pressure upon the movable end of the fender is removed, thepartsautomatically resume their normal position, as shown.

K represents U-shaped spring-shoes, the upper legs of which are rivetedor otherwise secured to the rock-shaft 0,2, and they extend from thesaid shaft forward, downward, and rearward. They are not intended totouch the road-bed under normal conditions, but

when the arms B B are swung downward,as` described, they will interposea spring-cush` curved plungers which telescope said arms, aspring-actuated fork-bar Gr pivotally connected with said plungers, andone or more transverse bars connecting the front ends of said plungers,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of a fender-frame, and two curved tubular armspivoted to and eX- tending forward and downward from the front end ofsaid fender-frame, stops to limit the upward movement of the front endsof said arms, correspondingly-curved plun gers which telescope saidarms, a spring-actuated forked bar .pivotally connected with saidplungers, a xed bracket through which the rear end of said fork-barpasses, and one or more transverse bars secured to the front ends ofsaid pl'ungers, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of a fender-frame, the two curved tubular armspivoted to and extending forward and downward from the front end of saidframe, the stop-arms b2 secured to the arms B, andv the adjustablestopsj, with the correspondingly curved plungers which telescope the arms B,and have at their front ends forwardly and rearwardly extended plates,the bars E, E', and D, the plates d,

sectional rollers e, the forked bar G, pivotally.

connected with the two plungersthe Xed brackets H and springg,substantially as and for the purpose specied.

ln testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two-witnesses.

A THEODORE LAMPUS. Witnesses:

E. L. THURsToN, E. B. GILoHRisT.

